A Second Chance
by white orchids
Summary: After her dad's death, Snape's daughter reads his journals, finds out the truth and seeks to redeem her deceased father. SSHG SSOC
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1

Ayasha

When my father died my sisters and I breathed, for a moment, a sigh of relief. Our sadness had been great but his suffering had been ever so much more. Throughout his entire life our father had known fewer kindnesses than should ever be known to any man. This, however, we did not find out until after his death. Our collective sigh was tinged with curiosity as well, for the man we called 'Father' lived his entire life in secret. Even in the days when he was married and bounced us on his knee, saw us to school and even walked Savannah, the eldest of us, down the aisle at her wedding, he kept so much more hidden away. His diaries and journals collected dust on the shelves in his study and though we longed to sneak in and take a small peak at the man our father was, we all knew that if we valued our lives we would not dare to open the cracked leather covers.

I myself had just turned twenty when the news of our father's death had reached me. I was living in a small flat in Muggle London, just getting used to my new surroundings and re-adjusting to the muggle world when I received the fateful telephone call from my one and only brother, Nico.

Nico and I were closest, myself being the baby of us all, was the only one he had ever been able to act like a proper brother and protect me and I, being the youngest, fully accepted this preferential treatment with little complaint. Our father was nearly 60 when I was born and was nearly 81 when he died.

Nico had called me and let me know he had booked a spot for me on the next flight from London to Pittsburgh, there was a lay-over in Atlanta though, and it would be best if I only brought a carry on; Anouk had agreed to buy me a nice dress once I arrived, so as to avoid missed flights due to security or lost luggage.

I arrived back in Pittsburgh on a very cold, bitter evening. Three inches of snow lay on the ground outside of the airport and the moon shown bright and full in the blue-black sky overhead. I remembered all the special moments my father and I had shared that were similar to this, the cold turning our cheeks pink and the thick blankets of snow that coated the sidewalks as we walked carefully through town trying to find Christmas presents for my mother and sisters, and of course dear Nico.

By the time I arrived my father was an old man by muggle standards. He wore his thinning gray hair in a tail wrapped in a regal black ribbon and kept his goatee in perfect order with daily pruning. By this time he must have given up his evil ways because I scarcely remembered even so much has a harsh word ever passing his lips. He was by no means a jovial old man, he simply was my father and as such he was very indulgent and attached to me. He always read to me. All 5 of us had been home-schooled by our father, but it was me especially he drilled into important works of literature, both muggle and magical and he always lured me to sleep with the sound of his deep voice reciting potion ingredients and new cauldron standards. I was always so worried about living up to my sisters. When I was very young he would braid my hair before bed, cooing about how I looked so much like my sister, or when I cried for him he would remark how much like my sister I was. 'Which one?' I would laugh and he smiled. I was often afraid that he might decide he preferred them over me, so I worked extra hard in all of my studies, especially potions, to impress him and to keep his love with me. I never understood until now that there was never any danger of that love ever leaving.

"Hello little one." a tall, thin man shouted out to me over the wind. His long coat whipped behind him as he trudged through the snow to collect my bag and put it in the back of his car.

"Hello Nico." I smiled half-heartedly, happy to see my brother, but sad on the occasion that had brought us back together. Nico had just settled into a house with his new wife, Susan, a pretty blonde from Boston. She was shy and quiet and always looked as though saying her name the wrong way might make her burst into tears. Susan was 5 years older than my brother, which made her a decade older than myself but that didn't stop us from being good friends. Out of all my sisters, Susan had decided that I was her confidant and thus was elected Maid of Honor over Savannah, who will still foam at the mouth in anger if you ask her to retell the story.

"How was the flight?" Susan asked as I slid into the backseat of the Volkswagon.

"Tiring, boring, bad food and even worse films if you can imagine!" I smiled, genuinely happy to see my sister-in-law. Nico slid into the drivers seat and began pulling away from the curb.

"How's London then?" He asked, gazing back at me through the rear view mirror. Sometimes it was like looking directly into my father's eyes.

"It's busy, noisy, full of muggles." This statement made him laugh and Susan shudder. Susan was a muggle, and although she knew perfectly well that she'd married into a wizarding family, the concept still shook her up. It was a new and scary thing to learn, that your new husband, the love of your life, had a secret he kept from you, not just the type of underwear he wore, but something so all encompassing, it could completely change the way you saw him forever.

I let her shiver register before going on,

"There is a conference in two weeks time on the standards of magical education in the UK and Europe which I am expected to attend, of course, and in January, after holidays are over I am going to begin student teaching at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry."

"What an exciting life you lead sister dear. Where exactly is this place?"

"Scotland, I think." I faltered somewhat, but Nico kept on with friendly conversation.

"Which class will you be teaching then?"

"Potions, of course" I rolled my eyes and smiled, "I think I was bring prepped from conception to have this job. Even if it is just student teaching at the moment. Dad was obsessed!" I nearly laughed, but a sob broke through when I realized that I had just used the past tense and the word 'dad' in the same sentence for the first time. Except this time I wasn't referring to something he did last week, I was referring to his entire life. Nico did catch this, and let me sob quietly into my hat for the rest of the ride to our old home.

Savannah was waiting for me when we pulled into the driveway. Her face was contorted with anger and hurt and jealousy, the only three things I was always convinced, she was ever able to feel. I barely had a foot out of the car when I heard her banshee shrieks.

"How dare you! You come into this house acting as though you have a right to be here, you left him when he was so sick and you left him with me! You were always the favorite and you left him with me! I was so happy to get out of that house, happy to be rid of him, but no! You went running off to jolly old England the first chance you could get!" I examined her for a moment, her frizzy blonde hair had come free of its barrette and now framed her face like a lions mane, her teeth were bared unattractively and the few extra pounds she had always carried seemed now so much more obvious, giving her the appearance of someone's spinster aunt. Savannah had never been the beauty of us girls, but she had a nice face and an endearing manner except when it came to our father. He loved her, she was his daughter, but he never seemed to really care for us. When by the age of 10 she showed no aptitude of magic at all, my father threw up his hands and sent her to public school. What could he teach her that would be beneficial in the muggle world? Literature, yes, Maths, yes, but History of the wizarding world was all her knew in that avenue, and his science experience was limited to potions-making. Savannah was sent to public school where her funny way of speaking (using terms like 'muggle') in combination of the fact she started after cliques had long been established, made it difficult to find any friends at all.

On the occasion of her screaming at me as I arrived to bury our father, I simply ignored her and walked into the house. I walked past Samara, who smiled genially at me as I passed her and went straight into the kitchen. She had rose from her seat and followed me through the swinging door.

"Samara." I said, not turning to face her, as I prepared a cup of tea for myself.

"She hasn't gone round the bend, yet. She's just tired." Samara reasoned with a sigh. Samara always saw the good in everyone. She always saw the most positive aspect of every situation and it was very irritating sometimes. I turned and looked at her with skepticism clearly painted on my face. She looked at me straight on and then got up to make her self a cup as well. Samara and I were the most alike. We were both stubborn and had wills of iron. We both looked just like father as well. She had always kept her poker straight hair short, because of its thinness, and her obstinate chin and large nose gave her the look of a haute couture model, however, she had forgone a fast-paced life in international modeling to be a housewife and mother to her three sons, James, David and Luke.

"What are you talking about?"

"She has been with Dad none stop these last few months. The rest of us have just been so busy. Anouk has all that work and Cornelius just getting married, you off in London and I have the boys of course. Lukey's magic seems to have finally come through as well. The news didn't sit well with her. God forbid she ever mother a witch or wizard."

"God forbid she ever mother anything at all." I giggled and Samara smiled at me.

"How are things?" She asked, her face straight again.

"They are busy. I am starting at Hogwarts in January."

"Hogwarts?" Samara asked, putting her cup down with more force than even she had expected.

"Yes. Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry." I replied with a proud smile. "Why? What's wrong with that?"

"Nothing. That was where dad taught before he came here. Didn't you know that?"

"No I didn't! I was never told this at all! How do you know?" I replied, a little upset and very disappointed that I had never been let onto this secret.

"When I turned eleven I received my Hogwarts papers. Mother put up such a fight! You were still a baby then. She adamantly refused to send me so far away and all by myself. At that point Dad started combing the country trying to find a school at would take me. That was how I ended up at Seattle School for Witches and the rest of you at the prestigious Boston College of Magic. Dad tried telling her I was on the other side of the country and just as far away, but she told him at least I was still in the country." Samara shrugged as I tried to pick my jaw up off the floor.

"But, mum died when I was 4. After you'd come back from your first year, the rest of us could have gone to Hogwarts!"

Samara shrugged again.

"I think dad was the type to keep a promise. Even if it was to our muggle mother." She trailed off a bit here and I took it as a chance to leave. Her mentioning Dad's teaching at Hogwarts made my mind float to the room directly above us. His study.

I left the kitchen quietly and walked softly up the stairs and down the long corridor to his office. The door seemed to jump open as I touched the handle and the creaking of the door juxtaposed the eternal silence this room now rested in. I clicked the door shut behind me and basked in the quiet for a few moments, though it seemed like hours, waiting for Savannah to come in screaming again. When she failed to materialize, I ran to the opposite wall and grasping at the shelf I read the titles of all the books that sat before me. One, was plain leather bound, its pages not yet yellowed with age. I grasped it, hoping for the opportunity to understand the man I so loved and admired. The first page was dated May 2004. The month I graduated he had begun a new journal!

Silently, I read on.

"May 2004

My dearest Ayasha. Clever, sweet Ayasha, so like your sister. Every book in this study is now yours. This wish is also stated in my will, to be read promptly postmortem so that your sister will not have a chance to sink her claws into anything that is not meant to be hers.

I have left you all of this for a reason. I want you to know everything. You are my most beloved child, there is no denying it and I feel that it is you who must know the truth because you will judge me fairly. Savannah has already made her mind up about me, although I did everything in my power to give her a good life. But what good is a father who belongs to a completely separate world?

Samara is a good girl, but she has not the thirst for all dimensions of knowledge, like you do. Anouk is simply too like her mother and of course I cannot let Cornelius know any of this. A son is always most at risk of following the same path as his father and the less he knows, even though he is grown now, the better. It is you my Ayasha, that I leave my life and my history to. There are things I have done, both great and terrible. There are a great number of things I regret and that I do not regret. You know me well enough to be able to tell the difference. I leave you my past in hopes that you might be able to amend things for me, if you feel it proper to do so. I never had gave myself the chance to do it whilst I was on Earth and I can only hope that you will carry out my last wishes for me. My life is yours now, do what you will with it. It is now all in your beautiful hands.

Your ever-loving father,

Severus Snape


	2. Chapter 2

**Author's Note: Thank you so much for your reviews! I really appreciate the feedback. I hope that with subsequent chapters the family dynamic is better explained, but just for you mypseudonym, a brief family history.**

**Savannah Jane Snape born 1/1/2008**

**Samara Nicole Snape born 7/12/2009**

**Anouk Jolie Snape born 2/11/2011**

**Cornelius "Nico" Giovanni Snape born 6/22/2012**

**Ayasha Mahsa Snape born 10/31/2017**

**Ayasha is the narrator. **

**The story begins in early November 2037, our narrator is just 20. Snape has died within the first week of the month.**

Chapter Two

Two weeks later I was sat on an overstuffed love seat, surrounded by discarded tea bags and various books, some of them my father's diaries while others were photo albums or history books. Each journal had been carefully numbered by my father and placed in a specific order and I read them in the way he grouped each book, knowing I could be risking an eternal haunting if things were not done in the proper order. The first books were easy to get through. They were filled with faded drawings and large print letters, a very young boy first recording his thoughts onto paper. In fact the first journal encompassed 5 years, from six to age eleven, the entries were short and spaced far between but it was to be expected, even from my father.

"_1 September, 1970_

_I am satisfied having been sorted into Slytherin. Anything less and I admit that I would be too frightened to return home ever again. Classes begin tomorrow and I am afraid that I am already left out of all the groups everyone has already formed. I know now that I will be on my own from now until the day I die and I need to get used to it. I appreciate being well versed in magic already, I sense I may need it in the future. _

_Only one person has so much as said 'Hello' to me. That person is Lucius Malfoy. I was warned about him. Not so much warned as told he is from the Malfoy family, someone not be messed with, but to respect with the highest dignity and honour. I can already tell, as is usually the case with people of such reputation, he is an incoherent moron."_

I closed the book and shut my eyes, trying to imagine my father at age eleven. He was already writing like the sarcastic, arrogant old man he would turn out to be. My tea had long turned cold and the milk had curdled slightly in the cup. I got up from the settee, poured the cold, curdled tea down the sink and proceeded to walk out the sleepiness from my limbs. Every extremity tingled, whether from lack of blood flow or my growing knowledge as to the true nature of the man who fathered me, I do not know. I flipped through a few of the books sitting on top of my counter in the kitchen. One was dated for 2030, the year Savannah was married.

"_11 June, 2030_

_My dearest Savannah,_

_Words cannot express how proud I am of you this day. The sweet little girl I once held in my arms, whom I walked hand in hand with during her first steps, is now being married. _

_I know that we do not always get along. In fact we never get along. I need you to understand and to know that I never loved you less than than your sisters or your brother. _

_When you were born it was at 1:11 in the morning on the first of January. There was nearly 3 feet of snow on the ground and we barely made it to the muggle hospital on time, but what can you expect? Your mother was the only one of us who could drive and she could barely fit behind the wheel. _

_Once you had entered this world I realized how perfect you were, little blonde curls and big blue eyes, looking exactly like your mother. The rest of your siblings did not fare so well in the genetics lottery. _

_How I cherished that first year we had one another. In fact I was so pleased that Samara was born so quickly afterwards because it gave us some quality time to spend together. You had absolutely no table manners, but I loved you anyway, and though your command of the English language was severely limited, you still made great conversation, responding to everything I ever said to you. _

_When you were six and still had not come into your magic I was very worried. Both of your sisters, Samara, then just 5 and Anouk 3, had already come into theirs and the house was in a constant state of crisis with two magical little ones and a baby and you, my dearest Savannah. I tried so hard to will the magic into you. I took you with me to Potions seminars, we toured magical cities of America, everything I could think of but it never happened for you and I panicked._

_My withdrawal from your life was not because I had given up or because I was disappointed in you. Later I realized I was disappointed in myself, not because my daughter was a squib, but because I let her feel that there was something wrong with her. I didn't know what to do. I was raised as a wizard in a wizard family, even if I was half-blood I was still a wizard. I didn't know what to do with a squib daughter. I immediately put you into school so you would have a chance to make friends with others who were non-magical. Your mother agreed that this was the best possible course for you. I wanted to give you the best possible chances for survival and acceptance in this world and I see now that all I ever succeeded in was pushing you further from me. But if one good thing ever came out of the growing canyon between us, it was the closeness you fostered with your mother. She knew full well I was a wizard but I think that she was bitter about my closeness with the 4 youngest children and she relished every moment the two of you spent together. _

_When your mother died last year, I tried to be as available as I could be for you, but it was too late. The damage had been done and you were poisoned against me. You are an adult, about to be married and I am a graying old man full of regrets. My biggest regret, however, was forcing you on the muggle world while alienating my precious daughter for her own protection. _

_I hope that one day you might see it in your heart to forgive an old man._

_You loving Father"_

I closed the book gently and began to think to myself. Should Savannah read this letter that was very obviously written for her?

I opened the journal back up and tried to read further, but the question nagged in my head and I wondered if there were any more child-specific entries that should be relinquished to the child.

The journals were mine to read, his letters and books and photo albums are now mine to go through. I decided to build a scrapbook of copies for all of us and I would start with Savannah as I think she needed hers the most.

**Another note: Sorry for the super short chapter, I've been ill and I am trying to pack for vacation as I leave tomorrow night. When I return I will have a totally new chapter for you all. I hope you enjoyed this one. **


	3. Chapter 3

**Author's Note: Before anyone gets upset over the descriptions of Ayasha's mum I want you to remember that for as tortured a soul Snape is, meeting someone who truly has no cares in the world was probably the biggest blast of fresh air he ever had in his life. She really does counter him as wholly as anyone could.**

**Chapter Three**

I dashed out in front of traffic like a white rabbit on crack. I could just picture my future college and only friend on this side of the Atlantic sitting at a little table in the corner of the leaky cauldron tapping her extra long and extra fake fingernails on the alcohol stained wood. She'd pause for a moment to crack her knuckles before ordering another large glass of water with a lime in it.

We had been trying to get together for weeks and now I was late. I loved Aimi to death, but she was one of these obnoxiously perfect people. She had been a triple major in Potions, Charms and Herbology when at university 15 years ago and now she was one of the most prestigious Potions Mistresses in the country. She had began her studies at Hogwarts, practicing doubly hard over the summers with her uncles and went on to University to graduate with top marks. Now she was teaching at her beloved Hogwarts, maintaining a steady relationship with a top quidditch player and she was gorgeous on top of it all.

Aimi had been nice enough to agree to help me scrapbook some of my father's old journals in order to redistribute them to those who truly mattered in his life. Aimi had gone to Hogwarts, in fact she said the her uncles all knew exactly who my father was. Her upbringing was very different from mine. Not only was she almost a generation older than I, she had grown up in a pure-blood family and had been sorted into Slytherin, just like my father and spent her summers touring the world or diligently practicing everything that had been taught to her in the past school year. I on the other hand lived torn between a muggle mother and a wizard father who were also two completely different personalities. None of us ever figured out what they saw in one another.

My mother, Luca Bianco, was Italian, not your stereotypical small, dark, curvy Italian woman either, her family was from the north and had waist length, curly blond hair, big blue eyes and she was very tall and thin. Of course her family had also settled in Arkansas so when Dad met her she had a thick southern accent and dark tanned skin that at age 25 was already nearly like leather. She loved to ride horses, it was all she did and all she ever talked about. She had gone to college and studied Equitation and all she really wanted was to have a family and ride her horses. Father told her he was a school teacher and taught Chemistry. She never passed chemistry in high school, but she never the less took an interest in our chemistry-teaching father.

"_21 May, 2006_

_... I don't know what it is about her. She's completely different and unlike anyone I've ever even SEEN before. I must have her..."_

I will never forget the picture on our fridge of their first date. Mother had taken him riding and the proof of that is the picture of our very miserable looking wearing a 5 gallon stetson hat trying to control the horse that evidently didn't like him that much. Our mother is laughing hysterically in the photo.

I stopped for a moment outside of the Leaky Cauldron and thought about this photo. For the first time in a good number of years I had stopped to think about that picture and realized that I had no idea where it was. I would have to call Nico when I got back to my dismal little flat.

My eyes adjusted quickly to the darkness of the old pub and I made my way over the low table under the stairs.

"Aimi I am so sorry for being late. I got off at the wrong station and well, sometimes I forget I am a witch." I blushed deeply when I realized for the first time that if I would have simply appearated, I would have been on time if not early. Aimi looked at me intently and laughed in a rich deep tone that filled the room with warmth.

"That's fine. For once in my life I am not busy." she smiled again before continuing, "I have been given a leave of absence by the headmistress. She seems to think I need some time for myself. Apparently working 18 hour days must be starting to show in my face."

Through her smiles I could see the faint lines that gently surrounded her mouth and eyes. They gave her a sense of aged elegance, as opposed to making her appear a little old lady.

"Well, I don't see it, but then again if you've been working this hard since your time in the womb, I imagine that you're equally adept at hiding your exhaustion."

"That's what I thought." She laughed softer this time.

"So what will you be doing during your leave?"

"I am debating on doing some travel," She waved Tabitha, the young barmaid, to bring us both waters with lime.

"My leave of absence extends to the middle of February, so I thought I might go to Australia or New Zealand. I am just ready to lie on a beach and get my comeuppance. I _am_ exhausted Ayasha. I have worked my butt off everyday I can remember and I have nothing to show for it. I wanted so much not to end up like my mother and now that I have succeeded I find myself jealous that I don't have what she did."

Sensing a private tangent that was about to ensue, I interrupted her.

"Well, why don't we do a bit of shopping. You'll need new robes, especially if you are going to Australia now, it is summer isn't it?" I tried my best to distract her and I must have succeeded because 15 minutes later we were caught in the middle of the bustling Diagon Alley amid the numerous Christmas shoppers. Thankfully, children were few in numbers, so our shopping experience was enhanced by the sounds of intelligent conversation and music instead screaming and temper tantrums.

We made our way in and out of Madam Malkin's quickly enough. I decided to have myself measured for some new teaching robes and a long black velvet cloak with a deep red silk lining. We continued down the narrow shopping district stopping in every other store or so to browse, sample and buy the various wares within. We both stopped dead in our tracks for the various potions shops and book stores and she laughed at me when I insisted on stopping in an old joke shop run by two aging wizards who seemed to know Aimi, or least who liked her; they kept winking and whistling at her.

Heading onwards we peaked in the windows of chocolate shops, small restaurants, places selling cauldrons of every imaginable size and composition; I purchased a set of 3 glass cauldrons for my upcoming internship.

"Aimi, can I ask you a question?"

"You just did my friend."

"I'm serious. If your leave extends to the middle of February, what am I to do for the month and a half that I am supposed to be interning with you?"

Aimi stopped and turned quickly. She shrugged at me and said

"Well, that's for McGonagall to decide. I imagine she has the faith in you to be able to handle the first and second year classes on your own. We have competent enough 7th years to help with the upper grades and Professor Malfoy will be able to help you further with the 6th and 7th year classes."

"It sound like an awful lot of shuffling around. Perhaps I could propose to put off my internship for another year or so?" I put my statement in question form, hoping for an adequate reply to my thoughts.

"The headmistress is thoroughly excited to have you join our staff temporarily. She's the one who has initiated all this shuffling. I don't think it it will do anything but upset her if you suggest putting off this learning experience."

Her tone was clipped and slightly condescending. She turned quickly and headed up the road. I followed her quickly, at a slight jog to keep up with her long, quick paces.

"Aimi, I'm sorry if I offended you. It just dawned on me that the time of my internship and your leave coincided."

"Look, you didn't upset me. I have been under a lot of stress lately." She stopped at the mouth to Knockturn Alley and continued. "You will be fine. Mcgonagall has seen what you are able to do and trusts that you past experience in combination with your parentage will make you competent enough to handle the classes on your own. In my humble opinion I think that she is making too much of you. I don't mean for this to offend you or upset you, but simply because you are the daughter of some spy from nearly 40 years ago doesn't mean you can teach these classes."

"What are you talking about?" I asked her, dumbfounded. The look on my face must have been one that showed my hurt at her accusations that I couldn't teach. However, what I really wanted to know is why she thought my father was a spy.

"I just think that the whole situation is being gone about in the wrong manner. I am sorry I snapped at you like that. Why don't we go grab a bite to eat?"

Aimi had already began to walk back to the entryway to the Leaky Cauldron. I walked behind her, mulling over everything she had said to me. When she walked in the back of the Leaky Cauldron and through the front door, I knew she was avoiding me.

We walked in silence down to the corner chippy and made a meal of vinegar soaked chips and hot, fresh from the fryer fish. As we parted she let me know that I was to take the Hogwarts Express on 1 January at noon from King's Cross, Platform 9 ¾. I appearated back to my flat and crashed onto my couch, which really was more of a pile a cushion and pillows and covered myself in my thick duvet. I wanted my father now more than ever. As I looked around the dark room I imagined us back at home,

plying outside together. I knew that he used to be a very scholarly man. I also knew that he had moved to the States simply because of the better opportunities in medicinal potions and he wanted to do some real good before he was too old to continue working in his preferred field. However he met my mother, had five children and that was that. It didn't matter to me at that moment. All that mattered was that the sun would be down in 45 minutes and I had to tag my father one more time before mother called us in for supper.

I would come to find out that he never regretted choosing us completely over whatever else the world had to offer. As far as I knew he had few if any regrets. He was the type of man who made every step a sure step, he regretted nothing because everything was well thought out and methodical for him. That was the kind of man I saw my father as. I wouldn't know until much later that his lack of regret over us was that we redeemed him in a way that medicinal potions never could. No matter how much good it did for the betterment of our world, it was his children who saved him. He told us this every day.

I stood up slowly, wrapping my duvet tighter over my chest and I sat down in front of my tiny fireplace. I flooed Nico but it was Susan who answered me.

"Is Nico around?"

"No I am afraid you just missed him. Samara is having some issue with the kids. You know how it is with her. There's ALWAYS an issue." Susan laughed genially

"Is there something I could help you with?" She offered.

"I don't think so. I had a question about Dad, I wasn't sure if Nico could answer it for me though, but I thought I would ask him anyways."

"Well I'd try popping in tomorrow night. Luke has gone and blown up the cat and Nick's gone tgo try and get it down. We've had emergency magical reversal thingy squads all over the block all night! It might be a long one, it's been so nice here lately, everyone was outside and saw it." She sighed. "I wish I could help."

"Yeah but this way if something goes wrong, it's not your fault and when something goes wrong you are free to sit back and laugh because you're in on the greatest joke ever played on muggle-kind" I laughed and she smiled slightly. She looked troubled but I didn't want to press the subject. I had pressed too many buttons this evening and I was tired of the outcome.

"I am going to go. Tell Nico I might pop in tomorrow evening. OK? Take care!"

With a great wooshing noise I stepped out of the fireplace and back into my dark little living room.

As I readied myself for bed I took an inventory of the days revelations.

My nephew blew up the cat

My father was a spy

and my mentor seemed bitter towards me for reasons unknown.

I fell into bed with a sigh. It was going to be a long night.


End file.
